Fourth Lawsuit Charges Sex Abuse At Boarding School

A fourth lawsuit has been filed against a private boarding school in Salisbury alleging it was a haven for sexual predators who abused boys for years.

The latest lawsuit filed by Peter Buck in federal court Thursday alleges that he was sexually abused by at least two teachers while he attended the Indian Mountain school from 1982-84. The lawsuit alleges that school administrators, including headmaster Peter Charleton, were aware of the abuse and did nothing to stop it.

The lawsuit alleges that English teacher Christopher Simonds routinely plied Buck with alcohol and drugs, including marijuana and LSD, and then sexually abused him. The lawsuit alleges that Buck tried to report the abuse to another teacher Winston Copeland, who also abused him.

As with the other three lawsuits filed since last October, the lawsuit claims that school officials should have known about Simonds, did nothing to stop him and encouraged an atmosphere of pedophilia.

None of the teachers or administrators named in the lawsuit are still employed at the school.

The first lawsuit filed in federal court by William Brewster Brownville made allegations against both Simonds and Carleton, who has since died. Two other lawsuits have been filed in state court making similar allegations against Simonds and the school.

Indian Mountain is an exclusive private boarding and day school for students from kindergarten through ninth grade.

In 1996, The Courant exposed a string of sexual abuse allegations against Simonds. The allegations against Simonds surfaced after the criminal statute of limitations had expired, and he was never charged.

State police conducted a investigation in 1992 and 1993 after receiving complaints of sexual abuse. The state police report on that investigation concluded that children at the school, some as young as 12, reported being given illegal drugs and cigarettes as a way of manipulating them into having sex with teachers.